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Posts with tag SolarPanel

Samsung's E1107 with built in solar panel gets a thorough shakedown

Sure, a cellphone made out of 80 percent recycled materials might be considered pretty environmentally friendly, but a cellphone with a built-in solar panel? Now that's something with the potential to make Al Gore cry. Enter the Samsung E11077. It's solar panel-equipped back cover comes in at 1.2-mm thin, and is said to revive a dead battery after just 15 minutes in the sun. Besides the FM radio and flashlight features, the only other noteworthy addition is an "Eco" profile, that essentially just changes screen brightness and shuts the Bluetooth off. If you're interested, the cost of entry is a reasonable $59, but you'll probably have to find an importer, as we don't expect this tree hugger to land stateside any time soon.

[Thanks, Vadik]

Scosche unveils solar-powered solCHAT Bluetooth speakerphone


If you happened to snag one of those Iqua Sun solar-powered Bluetooth headsets a few years back, you'll probably have no need whatsoever for this. For everyone else, listen up. The Scosche solCHAT Bluetooth speakerphone boasts an integrated solar panel and rechargeable Li-ion, and when installed within one's vehicle, it simply pairs up with BT-enabled handsets when in range in order to give drivers the ability to talk handsfree. The simply styled unit has just three visible buttons -- volume up, volume down and the all-important answer / hang-up key -- and it can be yours right now for $99.99. Oh, and just in case you live in some shadowy place like Seattle, a USB charging cable is also throw in -- just don't tell Mother Earth, alright?

Researchers create solar tie that charges, carries cellphone


There's certainly no shortage of folks working to incorporate solar cells into clothing and accessories, but a team of researchers from Iowa State University now look to have devised a way to make the wearable technology slightly more discreet, with them using digital textile printing to print fabric that matches the pattern of the solar cells. The solar cells themselves are then attached using a "liquid stitch" method, although that apparently presented its own set of problems, as the application of the cells made it difficult to tie a knot. As the researchers helpfully point out in thier paper, however, a clip-on tie would solve that problem. Combine that with the special pouch for carrying your cellphone, and you've got a combo that can't be beat.

[Via textually.org]

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